Present invention relates to clasps. More particularly, the present invention relates to clasps for grasping and suspending material such as posters, signage and the like.
There is a need for devices that grip posters and signage for suspension of the posters and signage from the devices. Such devices may be suspended by means of cords from a ceiling of a room or may be affixed to a wall of a room. The clips should be designed to readily receive and engage the posters such that the posters may be frequently changed as desired. The clips should have sufficient friction and/or compressive force to bear the weight of the poster in suspension.
There are a number of clips in use for the aforementioned purposes. One of such clips is as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,899,974 issued Feb. 13, 1990 and assigned to the assignee of the present application.
Certain prior art clips have failed to meet certain needs of the industry. The first such need is to provide sufficient clamping engagement to support the weight of a suspended poster. In the past, certain designs of the prior art have not evidenced sufficient friction or compressive forces and posters had been known to pull free of the clip. Accordingly, there is a need in the industry to increase the friction and/or compression forces exerted by the clip on the poster.
A second need of the industry is to provide for ready insertion of the poster stock into the opening defined in the clip. Certain prior art clips required prying the clip away from a back plate to define an opening. Certain other prior art devices had a hinged clip but the hinge did not have a very extensive range of angular motion and accordingly the opening that was able to be defined was not very great. In both cases, inserting the poster into the clip was something akin to threading the eye of a needle.
A third need is to be able to engage the clip with the poster stock without crumpling the inserted portion of the poster stock in the receiving space defined within the clip. There are a number of different kinds of poster stock that are typically used. Some of such stock is relatively slippery-coated stocks, typically having an aqueous coating or being laminated. A further stock is uncoated paper. A final stock is formed of a much softer material that has a much higher coefficient friction. Such stock might be formed of PVC material. In the past, especially with a hinged clip, the engaging portion of the clip would early engage the soft stock. Due to the increased coefficient of a friction, continued rotation of the clip into the engaging position acted to carry the greater portion of the soft stock into the receiving space defined within the clip. The effect is then that the clip crumples the portion of the soft stock that is carried into the receiving space defined within the clip.
The present invention substantially meets the aforementioned needs of the industry. The retention of the poster within the clamp is enhanced in at least three ways. First, the clip is hinged and has a cammed portion that engages the poster compressively. Further, the point of engagement of the hinged clip bears on a ramped non-skid (high friction) portion. The ramp (cam point) provides for the camming of the hinged portion, while the non-skid material increases the friction existing between the surface of the poster stock and the back plate of the clamp.
Secondly, as indicated above, the engaging portion of the clamp is hinged. The actual hinge is preferably formed of a material that provides for a substantially increased range of rotational motion of the hinged portion. In such manner, a relatively large opening is defined to facilitate insertion of the poster stock into the receiving space defined within the clamp. Additionally, the hinged portion of the clamp includes a C-shaped (or backwards J-shaped) engaging member. The C-shaped engaging member generally defines a funnel when the hinged portion is in the open position. The funnel assists in guiding the poster stock into the receiving space defined within the clamp.
Thirdly, the design of the hinged portion of the clamp is such that the peak pressure exerted on the poster stock is delayed until the latter portion of the rotation of the hinged portion into the closed (engaged) disposition. The delay of the peak pressure exerted on the poster stock facilitates minimizing the crumpling of the portion of the poster stock that is caught up by the hinged portion of the clamp and carried into the receiving space defined within the clamp. Delaying the peak compressive force until the latter portions of rotation of the hinged portion is a method of minimizing the crumpling of poster stock, especially the relatively soft, high frictional poster stock.
The present invention is a poster clasp for suspending a poster includes a suspension assembly having at least one suspension device for operable, suspending cooperation with a surface; and a clasp assembly being formed integrally, unitarily with the suspension assembly, the clasp assembly having a support member and a hinged gripping member, the support member having a cam point formed integral with a backplate, and the hinged gripping member having a hingedly rotatable compression fin, the compression fin being rotatable between an open disposition and a closed disposition, the compression fin being formed integral with a hinge and being formed of a relatively soft material. The present invention is further a method of engaging a poster for the suspension thereof by means of a poster clasp.